Review: Spellbinding by Maya Gold

FINISHED! I enjoyed this book so much! It’s very teeny bopper (lol, my sister in law still uses that term), but I loved it. Sometimes we just have to indulge in our guilty pleasures even if it entails reading a book about teenagers and high school and proms when we are at the ripe old age of 25, lol.

Does anyone remember the movie Teen Witch? It came out in the 80’s? It was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid; I watched it over and over with my Aunt and Uncle. Parts of this book reminded me so much of that movie, I’m sure that’s what caused me to be so drawn into it. Our heroine, Abby hides in the background. She has one friend that she talks but, but doesn’t really confide in her. I’m getting ahead of myself on this, but what reminds me of Teen Witch is that she is not a popular girl, the popular girls hate her and she has a major crush on Miss Popularities boyfriend. So what would a growing witch do that has a crush on someone? Make a love potion of course!! Ok, ok, so back to the beginning of the story, lol.

Abby discovers that she is a descendent of one of the women accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials. This gets her brain moving. She has noticed a lot of weird thing happening around her, like objects moving, things doing what she thinks, but she hasn’t really put 2 and 2 together until she makes this connection.

Abby is literally pulled to Salem one afternoon with her friend Rachel. She can’t explain it but she just has to go there. While in Salem she meets Rem J Ahhhh Rem. Super cute coffeehouse waiter that Abby has an instant connection with. As Abby and Rachel are leaving the coffeehouse she sees a now hiring sign in the window of a local shop. She jumps at the opportunity of getting a summer job, and can’t place exactly why this place has called to her.

Now that Abby is working in Salem she has more time to spend with Rem. They are just friends but she has this connection to him. Problem is, he is holding back. It’s like he wants her, then he doesn’t. He is SOOOO frustrating!! But I loved him all just the same.

Abby is trying to harness her new powers, but finds out pretty quickly that magic is not something you play around with.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. I didn’t find that I had any disconnect with it. I was drawn in from the beginning and stayed glued to my kindle until I finished. If you are looking for something light, with a teen romance and magic spells I would recommend Spellbinding. Also if you are a fan of The Secret Circle, check this out. I loved Secret Circle and got the same vibe off this as I did the show. 3.75 stars.

Flat-Out-Matt by Jessica Park

Matty, Matty, Matty…..what have you done to me!! I thought I loved Matt after Flat Out Love, who knew I could love him even more after reading pretty much the same thing just from his POV.

Some readers will call this a choppy companion to Flat Out Love….NOT ME! That is what I loved about this book. We didn’t have to re-read the entire story from Matt’s POV, just the main points….and the extra stuff….that just made the story whole.

I should learn to never doubt Jessica Park for what she can do. I was worried at first to read FOM. I knew I HAD to (really, it was a life or death situation), but I was just like…what if this ruins FOL for me. What if it changes my opinions on Jessica Park’s writing and my love for Matt all together!? (Ahhh the horror!!!!) But, like I said. I should learn to never doubt Jessica, she hasn’t failed me yet, and she didn’t disappoint with FOM.

From Matt’s POV I understood more on why they kept Julie in the dark for so long. I understood the unstableness of his family and why Celeste was the center of Matt’s attention. We also got a look at Finn in the beginning. The real Finn, not Flat Finn. That rounded the story out even more for me. A more in depth look at Matt’s family, it just really made me connect even more with the characters.

In FOM we also get to see what happened on Matt’s date with Julie’s friend (this was funny!) and when his feelings for Julie started, the desperate need he had to be close to her when he knew he couldn’t. I wanted to cry for him so many times. Julie was in love with Finn, when Finn was really Matt—yet Finn got all of the credit and Matt got the shit end of the stick. When Julie left Matt in the end, I broke into a million pieces again. But when she came back…..now that was worth the million pieces. To feel what Matt felt, the happiness, the urge…I just loved it so.

If you loved Flat Out Love, I highly recommend Flat Out Matt. Some readers won’t like it because they will feel like pieces are missing and choppy. But if you are familiar with the story of FOL, you should have no problems following along with the jumps in time. At least the book doesn’t go back and forth and back and forth. It is all forward and simply wonderful! 4.5 stars!

Miss Me Not by Tiffany King

Madison Hanson's past demons have given her a shadow of an existence with little hope. With the sudden tragic death of a fellow student, Madison questions her own life choices, and is now forced to evaluate everything she thought she believed in. When fate intervenes and partners her with Dean Jackson, a popular "all around good guy" from school, Madison gets a glimpse of a life that is filled with sunshine that has the power to break through the darkness she has cloaked herself in.

With Dean's help, Madison discovers a desire to finally step out of the shadows, and embrace life and all its gifts.

This book is well worth reading! It is intense all around. The primary subject is very intense and hit pretty close to home for me having lost a sibling to suicide, but still.... I loved it. This is a beautiful story about forgiveness and self discovery. I am so happy that I finally decided to read it. It was well worth my time and effort and I feel kind of moved by the book.

Even though the subject matter of this book revolves around suicide which is a touchy topic for a lot of people, I wouldn't let that stop you from reading it. It is not graphic at all and only references the topic of suicide, statistics, and why some people commit suicide and then why some people change their mind about it. It is relatable and I would say it's okay for YA to read for sure.

OKay, so where is the romance? lol Well from the synopsis you get that Madison is forced to partner up with a tutor who happens to be one of the Populars. Even though Dean is popular he is still a really good guy. He is genuine, caring and really nice. I loved that about him. The relationship between Madison and Dean was on a slow climb. That made me enjoy the story even more. I was able to get a deeper connection with the characters and it didn't fell rushed. I hate instant love stories. I need to connect with my characters.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I got the connections I needed with my characters, the story was realistic and relatable and the subject was a touchy, but necessary subject to read about. I was little disappointed with the ending. I could have used more...or maybe even a second book, lol. I really liked the characters of the story and would love to read more about their life after high school and how their relationship can progress after the demons Mads had to face. 4 star for me.

Broken Aro (The Broken One) by Jen Wylie

I’m not a big fan of books that involve the Fey. I will read them, but I have found that they are not my favorite. Broken Aro may have changed my mind. It not only has Fey, but many other creatures. I’m talking dragons, were, elves, fey…the whole 9 yards! I loved this book! I mean, really, really loved it! When I finished I was like, well….what do I do now? I honestly did not expect to have this reaction. Based on the synopsis, I knew it would be good, but I didn’t think it would have as much of an impact as it did. I cannot wait for the next book to be released!

This book was an adventure. Every page was like a race to get to the next page.

Synopsis:

Open your eyes to darkness. What do you see? Does the darkness frighten you? Now imagine the darkness being the cargo hold of a slave ship. Your city has fallen. Your family is most likely dead. You don't know anyone around you, and some of them aren't even human. Giving up would be so easy to do, but not for Arowyn Mason. Not after being raised in a military family with seven brothers. Every great story should begin with a plan. Aro's was to escape and to survive.

Escape comes, but at a price. As they reach the shore, Aro and the other survivors learn that freedom doesn't mean safety. The slavers want their property back and will do anything to get it. The party uses every ounce of their brute strength, a hearty helping of cunning, and even ancient magics to keep themselves alive. Sickness, danger, and even love surprise them at every turn. Dealing with danger becomes their way of life, but none of them ever considered that nothing can be quite as dangerous as a prophecy. Running turns into another race altogether as her world falls to pieces again and again.

Explaining exactly what the book is about will not do it justice. I recommend jumping in blind and just go along for the adventure. Each character is full of life and they all have different personalities that work wonders together. Overall this is just a wonderful, epic adventure with room open for romance to come into play as the story grows. I cannot wait to see what else the characters will have to face, and where the prophecy that is Aro will take them.

Excerpt:

A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest

Synopsis

On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.
A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.

She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.
An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.

Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.

Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.

Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?

Review
I am a vampire geek! I swear, I love all kinds of vampires...sweet vampires, mean vampires, goth vampires, hot vampires....you get the picture. A Shade of Vampire just added to that list. I loved this book! I was so engaged in the story. I read all afternoon, not wanting to stop. I can't find a release day for book 2 anywhere and I need it now!!!

I love vampire love stories, but I also like vampire stories that are kind of a love story but not really. That's what this book was to me. I can see it developing into a major love story, but for book 1, there wasn't enormous amount of romance, just a little. I liked that. It allowed me to get to know the characters and what this vampire tale (because you know all vampire books are different, lol) is like and bond with the book. If I don't bond, it's over for me, so bonding with a book and the characters is a must!

Sofia's main goal in life is to survive without going insane like her mother. He next goal is to keep the relationship she has with her best friend normal....but that is impossible when she has developed feelings for him when he clearly doesn't return the feelings.

One of her problems is solved when she is kidnapped and taken to The Shade. She no longer has to worry about her feelings for Ben. Now she has to worry about going crazy like her mother. Has this really happened? Has she been kidnapped? Or is the crazy finally setting in for good?

Lucky for us, this isn't her crazy, lol. She really has been kidnapped by vampires and taken to The Shade. We would have had a very short story had she only gone crazy.

So, Sofia wakes in The Shade to find out that she is to be a slave to the prince, Derek. His brother Lucas brought her to The Shade. After meeting the prince, Sofia has no choice but to get to know him. She finds herself actually liking him, he isn't as bad as the rest of the vampires seem to be. Derek is also drawn to her for more reasons than her blood:

She showed me a humanity I longed to return to.

Sofia is forced to stay against her will, all she knows is there must be a way out.

Where there's a way in, there simply must be a way out.

After her failed attempt to escape she truly learns that Derek is not as bad as he should be. She feels safe with him.

Ultimately, it was Derek who made life at The Shade worth living.

Then she starts to develop more feelings for him. Probably more than she should....but she can't help it! He is just so safe, and so sweet and everyone else (including the horrid Lucas) is just so horrible!

"From the moment I got here, all I've wanted to do was escape and go back home, but Derek..." she leant toward me and placed a gentle kiss over my cheek "...you've begun to feel like home."

Ah! I just loved this story. Everything about it was enticing to me. It is YA, the heroine is only 17, but it is still so good! With the situation the characters are put in at the end, I can only imagine where book 2 will go. I just can't wait!

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Excerpt

I’d been meandering along the shore for about an hour when I suddenly sensed that I wasn’t alone. Someone was approaching me from behind. My heart leapt. I was so sure it was Ben, that when a stranger showed up beside me, I couldn’t hide my disappointment.

He must have noticed, because a smirk formed on his lips. “Were you expecting someone else, love?”

I eyed him suspiciously, remembering how many times my father had told me not to talk to strangers. I looked him over, taking in his appearance. My eyes widened. I couldn’t find words to describe how fine a man he was. He was almost beautiful. The first thing I took notice of was how his blue eyes were about three shades brighter than any I’d ever seen before. It was such a stark contrast to his pale – almost white – skin and dark hair. Standing beside me, he was easily more than half a foot taller. His height, broad shoulders and lean build reminded me of Ben, but he had a presence that was far more imposing than my best friend’s.

My gaze settled on his face.

I realized that he was inspecting me just as closely as I was him. His eyes on me suddenly made me feel uncomfortably vulnerable. I gave my father’s advice a second thought, but quickly canceled out all notions of heeding to his counsel when I reminded myself that he stopped caring a long time ago.

I straightened to my full height and mustered all the courage I had to keep myself from running away from this stranger.

Big mistake.

The confident smirk didn’t leave his face for even a moment.

“Like what you see?”

“A bit full of yourself, aren’t you?” I scoffed, annoyed by his audacity.

He stepped forward, closer to me, and leaned his head toward mine.

“Don’t I have the right to be?”

He knew he looked good and wasn’t about to act like he didn’t.

“Whatever,” was my oh-so-brilliant comeback.

My shoulders sagged with defeat as I took a step back, unsettled by how close he was now. I rolled my eyes and did a one-eighty, not quite in the mood to play whatever game this stranger was proposing.

I would soon realize that I was about to play his game whether I liked it or not.

He grabbed my arm and turned my body to face him. This motion alone made every single internal alarm I had within me go off in a frenzy.

This man was danger and I knew it. I tried to wriggle away from his touch, but I was no match for his strength.

“Tell me your name,” he commanded.

I was about to refuse, but was horrified to find myself blurting out my name in response.

“Sofia Claremont.”

As soon as I revealed my name, his eyes lit up with a kind of sinister approval. Then he reached for my face and traced his thumb over my jaw line.

“Hello, Sofia Claremont. You’re one stupid girl for taking a walk alone at this time of night. You never know what kind of evil a pretty little thing like you could happen to come by.”

I found myself wondering exactly what kind of evil he was. But I was suddenly overcome by the sensations that were surrounding me. My senses took in everything at once. I heard the waves, felt the sand, smelled the ocean salt, tasted the flavor of cherry and saw the stranger’s manic appearance as he stuck a needle to my neck. The effect was instant. I was barely able to gasp, much less scream. I went from sensing everything to sensing absolutely nothing.

My last conscious thought was that I may never see Ben again.

 

Eternal Eden (Eden Trilogy #1) by Nicole Williams

Eternal Eden

I picked this book up months ago when searching for free books. I didn’t read it right away because as everyone, I have so many books on my TBR list. One day I was surfing my books and was like wait, what!? I have something else by Nicole Williams?! (I’m a big Crash fan, lol) And the rest is history….as soon as I realized this was written by THE Nicole Williams I jumped on it!

There are a lot of negative reviews on this book, but there are also a lot of good reviews, I was torn on how I would feel about it, I was not disappointed. After reading the book and then seeing all of the negative reviews, I was really bummed out! But, everyone has an opinion and we can’t all like the same thing, so that is that, lol.

I really enjoyed reading Eternal Eden. It was different than everything else I have currently been reading. It was refreshing and sweet. It is a YA book and you can tell because it still holds that sweet innocence that only a young adult would have. Young love is always fun to read about.

If you read and enjoyed The Fallen Star by Jessica Sorensen or The Providence series by Jamie McGuire, I know you will love this book. Other readers have compared it to Twilight, but I didn’t really get that feeling from it. It’s not exactly like either of those books, but I got the same feeling of warmth and excitement from this book that I got from those.

Bryn Dawson has so much misfortune in her life. She decides to leave the life that she had and start a new one where she isn’t known and can try to blend into the background of everyone else. Bryn fills her life with anything that she can to stay occupied. She excels in all of her studies and is in pretty much any club she can join, including the chess club, lol.

I didn’t need the whole college experience to better define me.

Bryn also has the responsibility of showing around new student on campus. That is how she meets William. She has a negative opinion of him right away.

Super- a rich, entitled, womanizer. My favorite kind of human being to be around.

It seems like Bryn can’t shake William. He keeps showing up, always in the most unexpected places. He is attractive and Bryn clearly sees the affect he has on other girls, but knows that she could never date him.

Guys like him didn’t like girls like me. I knew that. Everyone knew that-

William and Bryn end up having a deep conversation one night. He wants to know if she believes in the one. And if so, why doesn’t she date anyone.

“I want to be with one person forever. I don’t want to date my way through guys until I’ve forgotten just what I was looking for in the first place and end up settling for the next one that comes along”.

Despite everything that Bryn fights so hard to believe, she still falls hard for William. She knows he is different from anyone she has ever met, almost too wise beyond his age. Bryn has to decide how much she is willing to sacrifice to be with William.

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Eden Trilogy by Nicole Williams Reading Order

The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski

The Edge of Never

I’ve never been on a bus trip and I’ve always been scared to.

A friend of mine had a scarring experience and I thought I decided that I would never take a bus trip, lol. She was taking a trip from North Carolina to Missouri. She thought it would be a fun adventure to take a bus instead of a plane. First off, it took over 3 days straight to get there so she was exhausted. Next, she struggled with her luggage and decided that she didn’t need it anymore after about a day and a half and was just going to buy all new stuff when she got to MO, finally they stopped somewhere to pick up new passengers, 5 guys dressed in black slacks, white shirts and ties got on carrying bibles. She thought maybe they were Mormons. One of the guys sat next to her and she talked to him for 5 hours straight, and even shared her lunch with him. They talked about everything from where she was from, to where she was going and what her FULL name was….come to find out when they were getting off the 5 guys were inmates and they were being transferred to work somewhere for the prison! OMG! That broke me, lol

But, after reading The Edge of Never, I think I may have changed my mind. Yes, our heroine had a few rough experiences on her bus trip, but the overall advantage to the trip is what got me. She was fearless, she just up and got on a bus on day and left town not knowing where she was going. She met some interesting people, saw interesting things and had a complete life changing experience all at the age of 20. Yes, I think I do want to take that bus trip one day, as long as I end up meeting someone like Andrew (well, maybe about 7 years ago, lol before I met my husband, but you get what I’m saying, hypothetical, lol).

Yes, this is a book for dreamers.

I dream about things that really matter. At least in my world, they matter. What the air in other countries feels like on my skin, how the ocean smells, why the sound of rain makes me gasp. “You’re one deep chick.” That’s what Damon said to me on more than one occasion.

It is beautiful, formidable, engaging…..just subliminal! It is so deep and emotional and truly eye opening.

This is your life, Camryn Bennett. This is your life.

I have been trying my hardest to get EVERYONE to read it! I have posted it on FB and sent mass text messages to my reader friends, lol. I was on alert while reading though, I don’t always like it when something sneaks up on me and everyone has been saying that is book is kind of sad, or at least emotional….

Me: You’re gonna love The Edge of Never.

Ashley: Is it sad? Someone said they were emotional because of it.

Me: No, not yet at least and I’m halfway through. It’s beautiful and philosophical. It’s a dreamers book for sure.

Ashley: Ahhh yes! I will love it!!

Me: I love it. It hasn’t been that emotional for me, not like make me cry or even want to cry. It’s just…great, I can’t explain it, lol

Me: But, it has made me be like, what is my purpose in life, lol

Ashley: Oh, lord. You know your prupose is to help people because you do it all the time J

Me: lol, maybe

Annnddd then…..

Me: I’m at 72%, not really any sadness yet but my heart is pounding.

Then a little while later….

Me: I’m scared…..it might be sad….

Then, I refused to give Ashley anymore! Lol

Me: Please, Please, Please read it!!!!!

Camryn always knew that she would be different from everyone else. She knew that she wouldn’t live a repetitive life an end up in a dead in job. She had her life planed out and was getting ready to move in with her best friend until honesty stabbed her in the back and her life is thrown off course.

What is it with everyone and their willingness to follow?

She is going to push forward and get over it along with all of the other road blocks she has hit in her life. She sets on a journey to find herself. She just up and gets on a bus and leaves town without telling anyone, no warning, no destination. She makes her choice based on a baked potato (lol).

She starts to realize that no matter how far she travels that every state is the same. There is always that 1 lone sneaker on the side of the road….the same faces everywhere…. the only thing that changes are the license plates.

Then comes Andrew….only then does she start to realize that it is what you make it. Every state doesn’t have to be the same as long as you look at it from another perspective. Andrew is different, and he draws her in. She can’t get enough of him even though he is a stranger to her and she knows that she shouldn’t let anyone else in. She has never let her guard down like this. Andrew teachers Camryn how to live for the moment and she finds herself doing all kinds of things she would have never normally done.

But Andrew also has a secret that puts a whole new perspective on the time that they share together…..

READ IT!! READ IT! Call me! I’ll read it to you! Lol, just read it. Don’t let this one pass you by. It’s a no strings attached commitment, it’s not a series, it’s stand alone. Take a little bit of time out of your life and get to know Camryn and Andrew, I promise you won’t regret it, I’m sure you will find yourself wanting more.

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Crush by Lacey Weatherford

Lacey does not disappoint with this book. She has given us suspense, emotional roller coasters, love, drama, secrets, betrayal and so much more. I went into this book thinking I was getting another YA full of teenage drama, but I was oh so wrong! What I got was so much more than that, not only is it full of teenage drama, it also deals with issues that affect everyone, no matter what the age. These characters deal with drugs, first loves, sex, jealousy, death and betrayal and Lacey gives us a few twists and turns along the way to keep us on our toes.
Cami Wimberley is a nerd by association. She has one best friend, Clay who has been with her since the beginning. All the guys crush on her which she is oblivious to, but no one will approach her because of Clay. He is the king of all nerds, complete with pocket protector and all. Cami doesn't care that she doesn't have a boyfriend she is focused on graduating school and going to college to study music. Everything is going along as planned until the sexy new guy, Hunter Wilder shows up and rocks her world.
Hunter is not interested in finding a girlfriend, he doesn't need the complication in his life. Being the new kid he quickly climbed the social ladder and became the cool kid at school with a bad reputation. Everyone thinks they know him as this playboy that just uses girls for one thing, but there is more to him and the secret he carries around. So when he finds himself getting closer and closer to Cami, he knows he should stop but there is this pull he can't fight and he wants her so bad. Staying away from her is no longer an option, but will his secrets ruin everything.

Now, enter Clay, the best friend who is tired of having only the best friend status. He has had a crush on Cami for a really long time and is desperate to get her attention. When he finds out that Hunter has moved in on his girl he steps up his game. Clay changes everything about himself, from his clothes, to getting contacts and changing his hair style. Now all he has to do is convince Cami that she belongs with him even if it means he has to destroy the competition. Clay has a secret of his own that he is hiding from everyone, even Cami, a secret that can ruin everything.

Ahhh, see what I mean about suspense and drama and jealousy!!!

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

The Sea of Tranquility 

I am so in love with this book! I never wanted it to end! It should go on and on and on forever!! I swear, it should be a law that all readers have to read this book, that is how much I love it. I even sent a demanding text to Ashley about it:
 
Me: I am sending you The Sea of Tranquility when I get home and I don't care what you plan on reading next, you better drop it and read this! Lol, wow I feel so demanding.
 
Ashley: lol, yes ma'am


We all know how much I loved Slammed right? Well, this goes right beside it, hand in hand. The book is not the same type story line as Slammed, but I got the same vibe and emotional pull from it. It is just so beautiful, powerful and deep...and it's going right on my favorites of 2012 list. The words have been taken from me, I just can't begin to express how much I loved this and how much I want the rest of the world to read it. I was completely emotionally invested in all of the characters. There were no moments that I was like "Why is this person even in the book?" I had to know about each and every one of them.
 

My favorite line of the book--just look at the truth in it:

It amazes me how people are so afraid of what can happen in the dark, but they don't give a second thought about their safety during the day; as if the sun offers some sort of ultimate protection for all the evil in the world. It doesn't. All it does is whisper to you, lulling you with its warmth before it shoves you face down into the dirt. Daylight won't protect you from anything. bad things happen all of the time; they don't wait until after dinner.

If that doesn't get you wondering what the hell the book is about, nothing will.

Even if I try to tell you what it's about, there is no way that my words will do it justice. There isn't a simple way to write a synopsis for a book that is as powerful as this one. 



Nastya moves in with her aunt a few hours away from her parent’s home. There’s something about her. Something from her past that she is escaping and she’s taking on a new life. Starting a new high school where nobody knows her. She wants to be invisible from everyone and push everyone away. She has a plan for this, but it doesn't seem to work on everyone. It actually draws some unwanted attention to her, causing her to somehow be friends with the "Ken doll" of high school.

As much as hard as Nastya tries to be invisible, she realizes that there is someone who can do it better than her. At lunch, when all of the tables are filled with the normal high school cliques, she sees this loner. It's like he has a force field around him that no one can break. She is intrigued. How does he do it? He doesn't seem like anything is wrong, he actually looks pretty bad ass.
 

So here we have two broken characters, and that is where we get our story. Nothing else I can tell you, I am stricken for words.
 

I hate myself for waiting so long to read it, that is how much it affected me. Emotional, deep and poetically written. A zillion stars for me.

UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale) by Chanda Hahn

UnEnchanted was a freebie I picked up a few weeks ago. This book is still free and it is certainly a freebie worth reading! I loved this book and can’t wait to continue with the 2nd book of the series, Fairest.

Poor ol’ Mina Grime is unlucky, unpopular and uncoordinated. She has crushed on Brody Carmichael from afar for about 2 years…her best friend Nan is the only one that knows about her crush and she plans on keeping it that way…until she is forced to save Brody’s life while on a field trip. She goes from unpopular (she keeps the unlucky and uncoordinated, lol) to hero over night.

With the new fame she is getting from the press, her peers and the rest of the town Mina is brought on all kinds of misfortune. For all of Mina’s life if anything big happens in the Grime family her Mom always forces them to move, Mina never understood why until now…. After saving Brody, Mina is now in the spot light, her Mom is bound and determined they are moving again. Mina finally puts her foot down and tells her Mom no! They are staying her and she will make sure she is told what is going on (whew, she is brave, if my Mom was like we gotta go and I was 16, I would be like okay let’s go, lol).

Mina finds out from her Mom that the Grime family is actually the Grimm family. Her mother changed their name to try and be a bit more conspicuous to this Story(?) she keeps referring too. Mina is confused and begs for more details. Basically Mina is descended from the Brothers Grimm and has inherited all of their unfinished fairy tale business. Mina is now stuck with the curse of trying to outsmart the story so she doesn’t become the next victim as her father and uncle have. To break the curse Mina must finish all of the tales.

Oh! I know the possibilities with this could be endless!! Let me just say the ending pissed me off!! But, it does make me ready to read the 2^nd book so I can’t wait! Chanda Hahn also has posted on her blog that we should prepare for a 3^rd book of the series, I am excited for that. Like I said the possibilities could go on and on. The Grimm Brothers have over 200 fairy tales, so I expect to see this series continue at least for a few more books.

Ceaseless (Existence #3) by Abbi Glines

After reading Ceaseless I can officially say I STILL LOVE YOU ABBI GLINES J

Ceaseless was my least favorite of the series, but I still loved every minute of it. No more worrying about stupid Leif, no more worrying about Pagan’s time to die….but we DO have to worry about if Pagan will ever remember Dank and will she still love him the same….

Okay, so we know Dank was given the gift to keep Pagan, but there is a loophole (always a freaking loophole!)…Dank was never promised that Pagan would keep him. Pagan’s memory is wiped clean of Dank but he can remember everything about her. He must try and make her heart chose him and fall in love with him again and then her memories can be restored…Dank knows that he can’t possibly live without Pagan, he will do what ever has to win her back even if he has to break a few rules (he is good at that, remember, lol).

….but the catch is her soul has another mate….a mate she runs into at college, someone she is very familiar with (NO I AM NOT GOING TO TELL YOU WHO IT IS! Sheesh, ya’ll know I don’t like spoilers lol)…the Deity thinks it only fair that Pagan fall in love with her mate and for Dank to try and win her back….can he do it? Is their love strong enough to break the bond that her soul has with its mate?

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Existence by Abbi Glines
Predestined (Existence #2) by Abbi Glines

Existence by Abbi Glines

I'm pretty sure I say this every time I write a post about one of Abbi Glines books, but we LOVE HER! She is truly one of my favorite authors of the year. Ashley discovered Abbi around February of this year and since then we have read all of her books. We catch all of her releases and stay on top of her wonderful giveaways. She is just AWESOME!

Okay, enough about our stalkerish tendencies, we need to get down to the book love, lol.

Existence is book 1 in the Existence Trilogy. It will grab you from the beginning and leave you practically begging for more. How is this for a kicker- Our heroine falls in love with Death! (WTH! How is that possible!!)

Pagan has seen souls (people that are left here after they die, they can't move on or chose to not move on because of unfinished business) her entire life. She used to acknowledge them, but once she realized no one else could see them she pretended that she couldn't either. As long as the souls don't know she can see them they leave her alone.

She arrives one her first day of school to see the hottest guy staring at her as she exits the car. The trouble is, she knows he is dead. She knows a soul when she see ones. She attempts to ignore him, but he talks to her. Not only does he know she can see him, but others can see him too. It's like he isn't dead?

"Yes, I speak. Were you expecting me to be mute?"

I leaned my hip against the desk. "Well, you're the first one who's ever spoken to me."

Pagan falls hard for him. What she doesn't know is it is her time to die. She has fallen in love with this beautiful, different soul that she met at school. She doesn't know he is Death.

Death has fallen in love with Pagan too. He doesn't want to lose her. He is about to break all of the rules.

Now! How is that for some kind of awesome! I mean really! Falling in love with Death! You have to read it. I know you want to know what happens. Is she able to cheat Death? Is Dank's (Death) love strong enough and his pull in the afterlife strong enough that he can do whatever he has to do to keep her?

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While it Lasts by Abbi Glines

Crash by Nicole Williams

WHEW!!! I'm still trying to catch my breath after reading this. Nicole Williams has made her way into my top 5 favorite authors of all time!! I give this book 5 STARS!!!! My emotions were all over the place, I found myself yelling at the book saying "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING??"

Jude Ryder (How awesome is that name) has a complicated past, for a 17 year old he has had more run-ins with the law than most grown men. While living in a boys home, trying to make it to eighteen is his only goal. He knows he has no future that doesn't include permanent jail time.

Lucy Larson's family has lost almost everything. They are forced to sell their home and move into their vacation home on the lake right before her senior year of high school. She agreed to the move with the understand that she will not give up dancing. She has taken ballet since she could walk and it is her love, her escape from life and her dream to go to Julliard after graduation.

Jude and Lucy meet before school starts and they have a thing for each other. Jude knows he should leave Lucy alone because trouble ALWAYS follows him and he doesn't want to bring that into her life. Lucy knows she should leave him alone, he is a bad boy and she knows he will break her heart, but he looks so good!! Things happen over the summer and they go their separate ways only to see each other on the first day of school. All the girls at school say he's hot, all the guys look down on him but know he is not someone you mess with, everyone knows he is trouble. She is the new girl that all the guys want and all the girls hate. She just wants to get though the school year and be on her way to Julliard.

They both want each other but are afraid to take the risk, can they overcome their insecurities and their past once things come back to haunt them?

Ember by Jessica Sorensen

Jessica Sorensen is now included in my top 10 favorite authors of all time (possibly top 5!)!! She has done it to me again. A few months ago I read the Fallen Star series and fell in love. I started Ember yesterday afternoon and couldn’t put it down. The only time I stopped was for bathroom breaks (necessity, huh lol) and to cook dinner for my family (they gotta eat!) I finished last night and WOW!! I cannot wait for the second book! I am so in love with this series!

SOOOOO, I love this book! Even posted it on facebook and had a reply from my friend Kacie:

Me: Reading Ember by Jessica Sorensen and I love it! It’s possibly better than the Fallen Star.

Kacie: I like it better than Fallen Star. It’s kinda creepy and I like it. Hahaha

Me: Exactly!! I love the weirdness to it.

The heroine of the book, Ember, is an outsider. She has one friend (Raven) in the entire world and she is the only one that knows her secret. Her father is missing (the whole town thinks she killed him), her brother is a starving artist/stoner and her mom hates her. She constantly accuses Ember of murdering her grandmother (how could a 4 year old murder someone?).

I sound obsessed with death like Edgar Allan Poe or Emily Dickinson. But death is a huge part of who I am. With a simple touch I know when someone will die. Whether they’ll go painfully. If their life will be stolen.

Raven is constantly begging Ember to go with her to parties. She thinks she needs to live more and sulk with dead poets less. Ember hates parties (really, she hates crowds in general). The more people that are around the more deaths she sees and can sometimes go into panic mode.

Raven

While at the party Ember meets Asher. He is gorgeous, mysterious, and oblivious to the fact that no one has anything to do with Ember; he is completely taken with her. Ember enjoys Ashers company (who wouldn’t enjoy a hot, new, mysterious guy), he is the only person whose death she can’t sense.

Ember

Thomas Dekker as Asher

The day after the party someone turns up missing. Their car is found exactly as Ember’s father’s car was when he went missing. A few days later someone else goes missing, then another. What is up with all the missing people and why is Ember getting blamed for the murders when no bodies have been found? Does it have something to do with Asher? Or perhaps the other 2 guys who mysteriously show up in town around the time all of this is going on?

Easily a 5 star for me.